The Fairies, a misunderstood race. The great Eddie Lenihan says that “there is considerable and respectable proof of their existence”. Do you want to hear about them? Join me here at 9pm. Please retweet #Sidhe 
I’ll be ready to rock and roll with lots of talk about fairies in a few minutes, are you joining me? Retweet #Sidhe
When you think of fairies, do you thing of pointed eared, gossamer winged little things that flitter between flowers - well if you do you ain’t thinking about Irish fairies #Sidhe
Indeed, even the name “fairy” is a bit problematic. The word comes from “Fae” Latin “Fata” which Meanies “the Fates” which isn’t really what Irish ‘Fairies’ are about #Sidhe
The idea of winged fairies has much to do with 1917 photos known as the Cottingley Fairies. Two little English girls produced photos of fairies that people like Arthur Conan Doyle thought were real #Sidhe
Now, any self-respecting Irish ‘fairy’ would be mortified to be described like the Cottingley Fairies. When interviewed one said “Wings? How very dare you”. #Sidhe
When asked how they would describe themselves, a spokesman answered “We ain’t fairies in the English sense, we are a supernatural race, right enough, but the similarities end there” #Sidhe
“We describe ourselves as the Sidhe or more formally ‘Aos si’ - the people of the mounds and we would be happy if you could use this designation - pronounced Shee, you know like ‘Banshee’ #Sidhe
“Having cleared that up” continued the otherworldly spokesperson “I would be happy to answer any questions you may have”. “OK, where did you come from?”. #Sidhe
“Christians explain us according to their own cosmogony (and who could blame them). They say we are fallen angles who couldn’t make up our minds who to support at the fall - I’m not sure about this tho” #Sidhe
“Other more traditional groups say that we are the old gods of pre-Christian Ireland - the Tuatha de Danann - the people of the Goddess Danu, who were defeated by an incoming group of invaders”. Either explanation is acceptable to us #Sidhe
Now the otherworldly spokesperson had started talking, it was difficult to get him to stop. “If you have any doubt” he continued “whether it is a human or one of us you are talking to, look at the hair””Why””Red is always associated with the ancestral otherworld””I see” #Sidhe
“Do you really live in fairyforts?” “Yes, but we find the term pejorative. We prefer the term ‘mound’ it is more inclusive, indeed we take our very name from it”. “Sorry, no offence” “None taken, but we are known to be a bit spiteful at times” #Sidhe
“Could you give me an example of this spiteful attitude”. “There are many examples, for instance if you built your house on one of our paths”. “What would happen” “We’d wreck the gaff - bust it down, scatter everything”. “Really?” “You betcha” #Sidhe
“Banshees?””What about them?””Are they fair...em .. one of you””Yes, a solitary individual, known for singing death into communities””I though they were just warning about death””no..no..no..the Banshee is a more complex being....” “Remember this is Twitter “oh right” #Sidhe
“You have been accused of kidnapping humans””I presume you refer to the practice of the changling - a much misunderstood custom - we often need human babies, new brides, musicians and sometimes footballers” #Sidhe
“What do you do with humans that you have kidnapped and why do you leave horrible wizened old men in their place?””those wizened old men, you refer to are humans that we previously .. er.. kidnapped and have now grown old, we are merely giving them back” #Sidhe
“You would concede that a mother with a lovely little newborn baby would be a little disappointed to find the baby kidnapped and replaced by some horrible old fellow”.”your description is uncharitable and reductive and, if I may say so, ungrateful” #Sidhe
“I could give you many examples of people who came away with us and are quite happy” “But I understood that people who are abducted by your people often die” “Technically, yes but may I draw your attention to the ancestral otherworld - a place of complexity and beauty” #Sidhe
“Fairy funerals, did you ever attend one”. “I attended many” replied the otherworldly spokesperson “we call them nocturnal funerals” “The ‘Jobber’ Reilly above in Moybologue was forced to carry a coffin””yes, I was there, it was great crack - an excellent funeral” #Sidhe
“We were on the way down to Moybologue with the corpse” said the otherworldly spokesperson and we met the “Jobber”. “Let’s have a bit of crack, we said. ‘Jobber, would ya give us a hand carrying this coffin - we couldn’t believe that he’d actually help us” #Sidhe
“As soon as he started carrying the coffin, we were delighted, we walked across fields and bogs and ditches and the poor old ‘Jobber’ doing all the work - mighty crack. We walked all night and I’d say we were about 20 miles from Moybologue when ‘the Jobber’ collapsed #Sidhe
“We share many characteristics with you humans, we, for instance, like whiskey and fighting, a combination of which evolved into hurling. We like singing and dancing and we are particularly fond of breaking things, also gold” #Sidhe
“Owen Reilly was coming home one night and he heard hammering noises at a lone bush. He thought it was the fair... er..some of your people””Yes, it might have been or it might have been a fox”. “It was NOT a fox” #Sidhe
“I suppose you are asking me to explain why we as mysterious, and mainly nocturnal folk do things that humans don’t understand- like hammering at lone bushes at night - I’m afraid I am unable to discuss this with you””I see, not even a hint””OK, foxes” *scratches head* #Sidhe
Both I and the spokesperson from the ancestral otherworld agree that while we dislike the term ‘Fairy’ to describe this enigmatic race, it is a fairly useful abbreviation to use while on twitter. #Sidhe
Join me again tomorrow night for more about the Celtic ancestral otherworld. Retweet #Sidhe
